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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. band — a ring
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. band — a music group
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. content — the amount
  18. foot — a measure
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. kid — child
  22. stock — shares
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. foot — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com